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Last Update: 01/31/00

Flavor and Aroma In Natural Bee Honey

 INTRODUCTION

Flavor/fragrance qualities of commercial food products are greatly dependent on the volatile and semi-volatile organic compounds present both in the matrix and the headspace aroma. Today, there is a problem in the food industry as to what constitutes the optimum conditions for extracting and handling honey so as to provide a consistent quality, flavor and aroma of honey to the consumer. Many factors must be considered such as differences between bee colonies, how they are managed by the beekeepers for a specific honey and time of harvest. The most important factor are the plants used by the bees for the production of honey. The flavor and color of the honey depends on the type of plant that produces a nectarine honey. For example, sourwood produces a honey that is different in color and flavor from that of clover or poplar. In addition, verification of the honey as to its plant source is a primary concern. Analytical techniques are needed to profile and identify flavors, fragrances, off-flavors, off-odors and potential contaminants that may be present as flavor and fragrance additives. Volatile organic compounds were collected from samples of natural honey using a purge and trap technique (P&T), followed by trapping on an adsorbent resin and subsequent analysis by thermal desorption-gas chromatography- mass spectrometry (TD-GC-MS).

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